Veterans versus Youth

Veterans Vs. Youth

As a GM, or a head coach, of an NBA franchise, you have to face many troubling and difficult questions on a day to day basis. Are my players happy? Do we have the facilities necessary to be a successful franchise? How can I improve my players? How can I improve my fan experience? How can we win a championship?

All of those questions are vital to the health and wealth of a franchise. One other question that interests me is: What is more important to my roster, steady and proven veterans, or exciting and untested youth? This question is one that needs to be answered by a coach and a GM every year as they re-examine their rosters in the offseason, and it is often one that is addressed in the middle of the year via trade.

I think there are several points to be considered when deciding how to flesh out your roster:

1. Are my veterans a good locker room influence?

Take Baron Davis on the Los Angeles Clippers of 2010 versus the Baron Davis of 2011. In the 2009-2010 season, everyone agreed that Baron Davis was out of shape, uninspired, and generally a poison in the locker room. His team sucked, he didn’t want to play, and there was no reason for him to love coming to work every day. Many of us will say: “Baron, you are making crap-loads of money, just go out there and do your job!” However, it is always hard to do your best in a work environment that is unhealthy and unfulfilling.

Drastic change time. In 2011, the Clippers are an exciting and young team. They have beat the Heat and the Lakers in the last week, and have won 12 of their last 16 games. Baron Davis is a big reason behind this resurgence (as well as ROY Blake Griffin). B-Diddy is coming out and having fun on the basketball court again. He is enjoying throwing lobs to Blake and Deandre Jordan, and is generally being the kind of team leader that he was supposed to be when the Clippers signed him.

2. Are my veterans helping my youth to grow?

Very similar to the first question, but a few different nuances. For this example, let’s look at one of the oldest teams in the league, the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a very good, if aging veteran point guard in Tony Parker. In 2008, the Spurs drafted George Hill out of IUPUI in Indianapolis to become Parkers backup and eventual replacement. Greg Popovich will attest that Tony Parker has been integral to the development of George Hill. Leading by example and teaching on the court are two things that Parker is doing as a veteran that are helping his team both in the long term and immediately on the court as Hill is quickly blossoming into a great young guard.

3. Are my veterans aware of their age?

This may be a jab at a few veterans in particular, but one vet who does understand that he is older is Shaquille O’neal of the Boston Celtics. The Big Shamrock has always been a force of nature. Slightly less powerful than an earthquake, but definitely superior to a hurricane, Shaq has carved a niche for himself in the Hall of Fame by being bigger, stronger, and often quicker, than any other center in basketball. But, as we all do, he has aged. The last 5 years have seen Shaq become less and less of a franchise player, and more of a role player. However, Shaq has been aware of this evolution. He joined the Celtics because he wanted to win a championship, not because he wanted to average 30 ppg again. He has done an admirable job by rebounding the ball, clogging the paint on defense, and periodically even getting 10+ shots in the post if needed. Shaq has aged well for someone with a personality as large as his tattooed shoulders.

Two veterans who I think had trouble realizing that they were not premier players anymore were Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. This past summer, Tmac told the Pistons that he didn’t want to come to the team and be a sixth man. He expected that he would be a starter, and basically take over the team. He has fixed that assumption since, and has started to contribute as a solid role player and playmaker for the Detroit Pistons. Allen Iverson lost his job in the NBA because he refused to accept the fact that he was not the player that he used to be. He could still be valuable to any team, but his ego refuses to let him take a reduced role.

4. What do my youth lack?

I think this is a very important question to ask. Again looking at the Clippers, what does this young team lack? Here is a related question: Why do Ryan Gomes start at small forward over Al Farouq Aminu? Aminu is younger, bouncier, longer, and has a better future. I think the answer is this: Gomes is a steadying force in the starting lineup. He is not flashy, he doesn’t demand the ball, and he doesn’t score much. But he does defend hard, hit open jump shots, and crash the glass on both ends of the floor (although defensive boards are hard to come by with Griffin and Jordan looming). So, if your youth lack the ability to slow down, get a veteran ball-handler. If your youth hasn’t developed an inside presence, get a veteran banger like Kurt Thomas. He is doing an admirable job of filling in as a banger for the Chicago Bulls while Joakim Noah is out with injury.

Another thing that a lot of youth lack is an ability to play competent defense. Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets scores less in the NBA than I do (almost) but he still starts for the team because he can effectively defend 3 positions on the floor. The Rockets stick him on the opposing team’s best player night in and night out and he gives an enormous effort in shutting that player down.

So, we have listed some things that a GM may need to take into account when building his team. In case any GM’s are reading this article, here are a few veterans that you should consider as you are rounding out your roster. Note: these players may or may not be affordable or available

· Christ Anderson, PF: the Birdman can block shots and rebound with the best of them, and will always give serviceable minutes off the bench as a big man. Also, he is an inspiration with the way he has overcome addiction.

· Kyle Korver: do you need a three point basket? A solid defensive rotation? Someone to make funny, dodgeball themed commercials? Korver is your man.

· Luke Ridnour: This man is starting for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and some nights is their 3^rd best player. He can run the pick and roll, shoot the basketball, and he is another vet that fights every minute he is on the court.

· Linas Kleiza: He is under-producing in Toronto at the moment, but he showed over the summer in the World Championships that he can be a valuable and explosive scoring option if used correctly.

· Arron Afflalo: This UCLA grad has turned himself into quite the well-rounded player. He defends well, he shoots the three well, and is better at driving to the basket than he has been in the past. He would be a perfect shooting guard in Chicago, if they could get him.

Final note: the more I looked through rosters for this piece, the more I noticed that there aren’t a ton of people who fit the “still serviceable but not really used” veteran label. There are so many young players in this league right now. Maybe my definition of veteran is too…something.

Baseball Signings!

(sorry that it has been so long, but that's the way it goes. No one pays me for this, so it tends to take a back seat to other items on my to-do list. I wrote this post back in December when this happened)

Big news in the AL!

The Red Sox are immediately baseballs most improved team in the 2010 offseason. This morning, the 9^th of December, sources report that the Red Sox are going to give Carl Crawford a 7 year, 147 million dollar contract. He will fill in as a center or left fielder, and will provide a beautiful dual speed/power threat for the Bostonian team. Coupling this signing with the trade for Adrian Gonzales makes this entire offseason an enormous success. Lets take a look at the Red Sox potential lineup for the upcoming 2011 season

1. Jacoby Elsbury/Mike Cameron (CF)

2. Carl Crawford (LF)

3. Adrian Gonzales (1B)

4. Kevin Youkilis (3B)

5. Dustin Pedroia (2B)

6. JD Drew (RF)

7. David Ortiz (DH)

8. Jed Lowry/Marco Scutaro (SS)

9. Kevin Cash/Jarrod Saltalamacchia/Jason Varitek (C)

This lineup has a lot of pop 1-7, and the shortstop position is not terribly shabby either. Catcher is the weakest position in that lineup, but the Red Sox will take anything that Cash, or presumably Varitek, can give them.

So, with these two new additions, what are the best places to play them? From the lineup I have projected above, there are a few changes that are possible. Dustin Pedroia is a favorite in New England, and I think he could be used effectively in the leadoff spot. He hits for average, draws walks, has decent speed, and can hit for some power too. It is always an option. Obviously, the Red Sox want Elsbury to be running as much as possible if he leads off, so he may be placed in that position as well. (although wiser heads than I maintain that Pedroia should be the lead off man)

It seems to me like the Red Sox become the team to beat in the AL this year. Even the boom-sticks of the Yankees could have a hard time putting up the kind of runs that this Sox team is capable of doing. Another point in their favor is that both Gonzales and Crawford are way above average defensively. Losing Beltre at 3B does not hurt their defense since Youkilis is such a hard worker; this 2011 team can keep up with management’s idea of a defensive minded team that can still score runs.

*Boston signed former White Sox hurler Bobby Jenks to a 2 year deal. More flame-throwers in the bullpen is never a bad idea. Jenks can join fellow hard throwing righties Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard as relievers that will touch 97+ on any given pitch (Bard throws in the 100’s, and Jenks used to.)

10 Things I want to Think

These are 10 things that I like about the half-over NFL season and the newly-begun NBA season

NBA
1. Andrew Bogut's leaping ability. I cannot stress how much I like Andrew Bogut. He may be the hardest working big man in the NBA. As a bonus, he carries an epic chin beard around with him all the time. For an Aussie, the man can really jump like a gazelle.

2. Mike Conley's effort. I know that Mike Conley is not worth the massive contract that he signed this off season, but he is really trying to play like a top flight point guard this season. He is assisting at a higher rate than normal, and that is a direct result of better penetration.

3. Kevin Love's magnet hands. Magnets are the only logical explanation as to why a 6'9", maybe a bit pudgy, white guy can grab 31 rebounds in an NBA game. He has "it" when it comes to rebounding, no arguing with that.

4. Point Guards. There are so many amazing playmakers at the point guard position in the NBA this year. Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, John Wall, Rajon Rondo. Don't forget about solid players like Chauncey Billups, Raymond Felton, Tyreke Evans, Steph Curry, Russel Westbrook...etc. There is an exciting point guard on display every night in this league!

5. LA Clippers highlights. The Clippers have, in my opinion, the two hardest dunkers in the NBA. Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan both dunk as hard as possible every night. This team is so young and so fun to watch. Griffin, Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe, and Al Farouq Aminu make this an exciting team for years to come.

NFL
1. Enormous Running Backs. I love the physical running of Steven Jackson and Peyton Hillis. They run over and through everyone that they can on every play. These are the kind of people that give football its physicality.

2. Complete players. The downfield blocking of Carolina Panther's Steve Smith impresses me week in and week out. He is on a terrible team, he barely gets the ball, but he gives 100% effort on every play.

3. Parity. I don't know how much I like the parity in the NFL this season, with no teams standing out through the first 10 weeks, but it sure makes things interesting. However, my pick 'em league is definitely suffering.

4. Peyton Manning. I will never get tired of complementing this guy. Who would think that Dallas Clark looks like a trade chip with Tamme playing so good as his fill in? It would never happen, but Manning can make anybody look like a star if they have decent hands and can run a route the same way twice. He carries the Colts like no other QB carries their team.

5. Sports Blogs. I love Peter King's MMQB, Don Banks' Quick Hits, the ESPN NFL Blog, Bill Simmons, I even enjoy Jason Whitlock once in a while (a long while). There are some really really talented writers in this world of sports.

Next time I post, probably after Thanksgiving, I want to look at player salaries in the NBA, NFL, and MLB in 3 consecutive posts. Here's hoping!

FVP (Franchise's MVP)

Franchise Cornerstone

I spent a little time a few weeks ago talking about Franchise players on an NBA team. It is debatable whether a guard or a center is the best choice to anchor your franchise. However, the debate is much less polarizing in the NFL. In the NFL, you cannot win without a good quarterback. You definitely cannot win a Super Bowl without a franchise quality quarterback. Therefore, I think the question of who is the most important cornerstone of a franchise is one that cannot be argued.

It is the quarterback. Some people will argue that a tackle is more important to a franchise than a quarterback, but there is no way that the statistics back up that up. A quarterback touches the ball every single offensive snap of the game (allowing for direct RB snaps and wildcat formation plays). A left tackle is also on the field every offensive play of the game, but they do not have nearly the same amount of responsibilities, or nearly as much effect on the offense. If the Left Tackle is performing poorly, run the ball to the other side of the line, or give him help blocking. If the quarterback is performing poorly, there are not a lot of backup options. He has to throw the ball by himself, nobody can help him throw it.

For this reason, and several others, I consider Peyton Manning to be the most important player in the National Football League. Without him, the Colts would not have a fighting chance in the AFC South. If Curtis Painter, the current Colts backup, was under center for the 2010 season, I have no doubts that Indianapolis would be tied with Buffalo for the worst record in the league. You may argue that the Colts offensive weapons would be enough to coax a few wins out of their personnel. I disagree. Joseph Addai rushes for less than 100 ypg even when he is paired with the most dangerous passing game in the NFL. If the quarterback was not dependable, opponents would expect running in running situations, which they cannot when Manning is under center. I could go on, but I think the evidence is overwhelming. The quarterback position is the most important in football, with no exceptions.

Give me your thoughts and opinions.

Inaugural Power Rankings!

In honor of one of my favorite sports writers, Peter King, let me introduce to you my Fine 15 NBA teams!

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers are one of several teams whose success depends on their health. It is a given that Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher will do what needs to be done, and that Artest will fluctuate between brilliant and insane. The two catalysts for a third ring in a row are Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. If those two can be healthy come playoff time, Kobe’s sixth ring should be well within his grasp.

2. Miami Heat: Health is also an issue here. Mike Miller could be out for almost 2 months with a broken hand, and Dwayne Wade is a constant injury risk. However, I think the additions will limit Dwayne’s crazy forays into the paint, where he takes numerous lumps per season. Mark my words, and the words of every sportswriter in the world, a healthy Heat can win the Championship.

3. Boston Celtics: This year, if the Celtics meet the Lakers in the Finals again, the Celtics have plenty of bigs to throw at Gasol and Bynum. If Doc Rivers continues to be conservative with minutes for his aged stars during the regular season, this team will be fine.

4. Orlando Magic: Hakeem the Dream, meet Dwight the Fright. Like every sports enthusiast, I saw the video of Dwight Howard working with Hakeem Olajuwon during the summer. I hope that pushes his game to another level. I would love to see Dwight Howard put up a pump fake that the defense actually had to react. A jumper would be an amazing sight. Even without the jumper, the Magic will blitz through the regular season again this year.

5. San Antonio Spurs: I think the addition of Dejuan Blair to the starting lineup is a stroke of…something. I want it to be genius, but I am afraid that the undersized Blair will still require Tim Duncan to play defense on centers for 20-25 minutes a game. That is not good for this team because it is not good for Duncan’s health. However, when Tiago Splitter is ready to go, he will help give Duncan time away from the center position, which will allow Duncan some rest.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder: Best scorer in the league in Kevin Durant, a rising star in Russell Westbrook, and an intentionally crafted supporting cast of players make the Thunder one of the most exciting young teams in the league. They will challenge for a top 4 playoff seed in the west, and should win at least one series this season. Still a center/power forward away from being an elite team.

7. Dallas Mavericks: I can’t remember the last time the Mavericks were not ranked in the top 10 in a Power Rankings Poll. They, along with the Spurs, seem to be the old faithful of the NBA. Dirk Nowitski + 12-14 other players = playoff team. That just seems to be the way it works. Of course, all writers are interested to see what Mark Cuban inevitably does in the middle of the season when his team is in 3rd of 4th place in the West. He loves to shake things up.

8. Portland Trailblazers: For as much grief as people give Greg Oden, he is one of only three players who makes this team watchable, with Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez being the other two. The Blazers are solid at every position, and if healthy, can roll out a platoon of rim-watchers to anchor the defensive end.

9. Utah Jazz: I love Deron Williams. I think he is the best point guard in the league, and I think that he will carry the Jazz to another 50 win season this year. Al Jefferson should average 20-10 without breaking a sweat in the Jazz offense, and I have high hopes for rookie Gordon Hayward (Indiana bias)

10. Chicago Bulls: As often as I see him play, Derrick Rose scares me. He scares me because he can penetrate on the entire world at once, but he scares me because I am afraid he is going to stay a scoring point guard his whole career. Nevertheless, the Bulls will be a team that no one wants to face in the playoffs if Carlos Boozer is running on all cylinders, and Kyle Korver has found his place on the perimeter, nailing threes alllllllll day.

11. Denver Nuggets: Denver has no chance at all of winning a championship at this point. On paper (when healthy) this team is awesome. A facilitating point guard with range in Chauncey Billups, a defending 2-guard with developing range in Arron Afflolo, the smoothest scorer in the game in Carmelo Anthony, a brute of a power forward who is a great post defender in Kenyon Martin, and an athletic center with a decent jump shot in Nene. However, paper doesn’t factor in that Nene is a softie who doesn’t block enough shots, or that Anthony takes waaaaay too many contested jumpers, or that the bench is a 50-50 bet to go insane (JR Smith) every night. This team just has too many unreliable factors to win a championship.

12. Phoenix Suns: Never bet against Steve Nash leading his team to the playoffs. He will find a way. I also love Hakeem Warrick in the pick and pop with Nash. Just don’t expect them to score any, literally any, points in the paint.

13. Houston Rockets: To me, the Rockets should be the deepest team in the league. They have a very good starting lineup, and then bring in players who can impact a game like Kyle Lowery, Chase Buddinger, Chuck Hayes, Jordan Hill, Courtney Lee, and Patrick Patterson. However, as we all know, the success of this team is going to be gained one half at a time. Mostly during the half per game that Yao is allowed to play. As a coach, how do you manage Yao Ming’s 24 allowed minutes per game? Do you play him the 1st and 3rd quarters? 6 minutes per quarter? It is going to be an interesting situation on a very good Rockets team.

14. New Orleans Hornets: I will be the first to admit that I loved when the NBA best point guard debate shifted Chris Paul to 2nd place behind Deron Williams. I have had a grudge against Paul ever since I saw him hit Julius Hodge in the groin during the 2005 ACC MBB tournament. I thought it was a low blow, and I never recovered. However, he is a dang good point guard, and he should be able to carry a team with plenty of outside shooting to at least the 7th seed in the West.

15. Milwaukee Bucks: I am a huge Andrew Bogut fan. He was playing the best basketball of his career when he broke his arm last season. If he can continue to play at the level of his 2009-2010 season, then that coupled with the natural progression of his younger teammates should push this team into position to win at least a series in the playoffs. Corey Maggette and Chris Douglas-Roberts should provide this team with two factors they didn’t have last year: dynamic scorers, and possible locker room cancers.

Big vs. Little

There has been a lot of talk in the basketball blogosphere the last few days about whether it is better to start a team with a center or a guard. Good question. If you are starting a franchise, do you want a dominating center, or an electrifying guard? To me, the question is: why are you starting a team?

It seems, if you are getting involved in the business to win an NBA championship, you need a dominating center. The last 12 years go Lakers, Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Heat, Spurs, Pistons, Spurs, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Spurs. Of those 12 teams, It can be argued that the best, or most important players on each team were enormous, or at least really big:

• For the first Laker's dynasty and Miami's single dip, Shaq.
  
• For the Spurs three championships, Tim Duncan was the common factor.
  
• For the most recent three of Lakers and Celtics, Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett were (arguably) the most important players on those teams.
  
• Even the Pistons got over the hump by the mid-season pickup of Rasheed Wallace.

On the other side of the page, if you want to make money in the NBA, I would argue that a flashy and mesmerizing guard is your best bet. Think of the most exciting players in the NBA today. My top 1- most likely to make you shake your head in disbelief players: Bryant, James, Wade, Durant, Paul, Howard, Williams, Wall (give me a break. Child is fast), Rose, Westbrook. Only one of these players is a center. As a GM, I would have to think a lot about the potential of drawing more fans over 41 games in my arena versus the potential of winning more playoff games over a six to ten year period.

Obviously, your team is going to make a lot of money if you win an NBA championship. However, what are the chances that you win an O'Brien trophy if you are drafting a potential star? At least in the short term, not good. So does it make more sense to make money with an exciting young athlete while you try to build your team? These are the kinds of questions that haunt me as a wannabe GM. I think the most important lesson has to be: as a General Manager, it's never all about the basketball, as much as you may like it to be.

Colt's Roster

It has come to my attention, as a longtime Colts fan and native of Indiana, that the Colts roster has been absolutely decimated by injury through 5 weeks. Let me list the important ones:

• Bob Sanders (out forever and ever)
• Anthony Gonzales (valuable part of passing game, but replaceable)
• Donald Brown (good at picking up rushers)
• Joseph Addai (Questionable for week 6)
• Pierre Garcon (Should be good to go, not 100%)
• Antione Bethea (Also running at about 85%)
• Melvin Bullit (Out for the forseeable future)
  

You can see that the majority of those issues are on the offensive side of the ball, but they are not the injuries that I am worried about. I am very concerned with the injuries at safety. If you look around the National Football League, you can see that dynamic safeties make a big difference for any defense. Troy Polamalu, Laron Landry, Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, Antoine Bethea, Louis Delmas (in a few years along with Jairus Bird) just to name a few.

As a GM, I don't see any feasible way that Bill Polian can address this issue during the regular season. The Colt's D, already suspect in so many ways, now may become suspect against the deep ball, and be even worse against the run with the potential loss of Bethea. As the leader of this team, I suppose the best a GM can do is hope for health and a stout front 7, which Indianapolis kind of has and kind of doesn't.

This coming off season, depth is definitely something that needs to be addressed in the secondary, both through the draft and through free agency, although free agents is not the Colts way. Here's hoping for another playoff year!